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Log Management · head to head

Elastic APM vs Graylog

Elastic APM logo

Elastic APM

Log Management

Application Performance Monitoring from Elastic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Graylog logo

Graylog

Log Management

Log Aggregation and Analysis Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Elastic APM pricing is not published on the product page; cost follows the underlying Elastic deployment rather than being quoted per host or per service; Graylog graylog Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year and Graylog Security at $18,000 per year, priced by daily volume or annual consumption
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Graylog covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elastic APM and Graylog actually diverge.

Attributes where Elastic APM and Graylog differ
AttributeElastic APMGraylog

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Log Management), founded (2011).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Elastic APM

  • Performance monitoring
  • Error tracking
  • Transaction tracing
  • Custom metrics

Only in Graylog

  • Log aggregation
  • Full-text search
  • Parsing and extraction
  • Real-time analytics

Both cover

  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Elastic APM

  • Distributed tracing across microservicesnot Graylog
  • Auto-instrumenting Java, .NET, Python, Go, Node.js, Ruby, PHP and C++ servicesnot Graylog
  • OpenTelemetry-native collection through the Elastic distributionsnot Graylog
  • Correlating latency and errors with machine learningnot Graylog
  • Monitoring LLM calls alongside application tracesnot Graylog

Graylog

  • Centralising and searching application and infrastructure logsnot Elastic APM
  • Running a SIEM with threat detection and investigation workflowsnot Elastic APM
  • Self-hosting log management without per-GB SaaS billingnot Elastic APM

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Elastic APM

  • Pricing is not published on the product page; cost follows the underlying Elastic deployment rather than being quoted per host or per service
  • Self-managed deployment means running and scaling Elasticsearch yourself
  • Serverless does not carry every capability the hosted option does

Graylog

  • Graylog Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year and Graylog Security at $18,000 per year, priced by daily volume or annual consumption
  • Correlation engine, scheduled and custom reports, compliance reports and teams management are Enterprise-only
  • Data tiering across hot, warm and archive storage is an Enterprise feature, not available in Graylog Open
  • Graylog Open carries community support only; professional support requires a paid edition
  • UEBA anomaly detection, Sigma rules, MITRE ATT&CK alignment and SOAR automation are limited to Graylog Security

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic APM

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Performance monitoring
    • Error tracking
    • Transaction tracing

Graylog

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Full-text search
    • Parsing and extraction

Which should you pick?

Choose Elastic APM if

  • You need performance monitoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want error tracking.
Elastic APM review

Choose Graylog if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want full-text search.
Graylog review

Questions people ask

Is Elastic APM or Graylog better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic APM starts at Free and Graylog at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elastic APM or Graylog?
Elastic APM starts at Free and Graylog at Free.
Does Elastic APM or Graylog run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Elastic APM for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Elastic APM best used for?
Elastic APM is most often used for distributed tracing across microservices, auto-instrumenting java, .net, python, go, node.js, ruby, php and c++ services, opentelemetry-native collection through the elastic distributions, correlating latency and errors with machine learning. Of those, distributed tracing across microservices and auto-instrumenting java, .net, python, go, node.js, ruby, php and c++ services are not what Graylog is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic APM do that Graylog cannot?
Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Error tracking, Transaction tracing, Custom metrics. Graylog covers Log aggregation, Full-text search, Parsing and extraction, Real-time analytics. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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